


Kill Them All (And Let The Overboss Sort Them Out)

by Anonymous



Category: Fallout 4
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Explosions, Killer Robots, M/M, Nuka-World Amusement Park (Fallout), fun for the whole family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-12
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-16 05:41:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29077275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Gage doesn't know what to think of his new boss.  Luckily for him, the boss knows exactly how to handle Gage.
Relationships: Porter Gage/Male Sole Survivor
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3
Collections: Five Figure Fanwork Exchange 2020





	Kill Them All (And Let The Overboss Sort Them Out)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hobbitdragon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hobbitdragon/gifts).



Gage would like to say that from the moment he saw him, he knew the stranger was going to be the one to lead them to greatness.

For one thing, it would make him look like a great judge of character, someone who knew his shit and knew it well. Also, maybe the rest of those assholes would forgive him for backing Colter, since they all knew how that shit turned out.

But honestly, Gage was kind of rolling the dice with the guy. He had to figure it was a good bet, though. Someone rolls up in power armor, carrying a shit ton of weapons, and doesn't back down from a fight? Harvey radioed in that he had gotten the truth out of him (fucking useless, sometimes, Gage swears), and still decided to go in, guns blazing?

Well, that kind of insane, brave and deeply stupid maneuver could only mean one thing.

This asshole had to be the right one for the job.

“Hey boss,” Gage said, as the new Overboss walked in the next day. He'd given him a little bit of time before meeting the other assholes they were trying to rein in, but they wouldn't wait long. Nisha was already sharpening her knives and Mason was howling at his doors to test himself against the new alpha.

Christ, this was why the Pack were so fucking weird. Like yes, only the strongest should rule, but did you have to couch it in some bullshit terms?

At least Mags and William were patient fuckers. Probably too busy thinking how they could use the new dynamic to their financial advantage.

Whatever, Gage thought. At least they'd give the new boss a chance before immediately trying to kill him.

The new boss kicked up his feet on the bed and looked at him. He still had a bruised eye and some blood crusted underneath his hair, but other than that, he looked pretty good.

Too damn good. Gage hadn't seen what was hiding under the power armor until it came off, and fuck, there went his brain.

“Nate,” the guy said, smiling, revealing surprisingly white teeth. “Out there, you can keep calling me boss, but every now and then, why don't you call me by my name?”

“Boss,” Gage opened his mouth.

Nate tilted his head. “What did I just say?”

“Nate.”

Nate's grin widened. “That's what I thought. So what did you want?”

“You're meeting up with the gangs today, right?”

Nate shrugged. “I guess so,” he said. “It's not as though I got anything better to do today.” He looked around the room. “I mean, I could get blitzed and just wait for them to stab me in the back, but somehow I think that ruins both of our plans.”

Gage nodded. “Yeah, it might just a little.”

“I take it you're not coming with me,” Nate said.

“Well, I could,” Gage agreed amiably, “but somehow I think they might take that as a sign that you need a fucking babysitter to hold your hand and make sure no one's mean to you.”

Nate laughed. “Guess you're right.” He swung his legs up, stood up and went over to his armor. It was almost a tragedy, Gage thought, watching that body get into all that metal. Of course, it was better than seeing it chopped up to pieces and he didn't blame the new Overboss for thinking that his welcome wagon might want to run him over.

“So the Pack likes strength, the Operators like money, and the Disciples just want me to murder as much shit as possible,” Nate said. “Well, none of that should be that damn hard.” His voice, muffled as it was through the armor, still sounded amused.

That was the weird thing about this guy. Nothing seemed to bother him. Not deathtraps, or people shooting at him, or even being told he was going to take care of a bunch of murderous bastards. Hell, he even appreciated the squirt gun and Gage had been sure he was going to flip his shit when he saw it.

So maybe he'd do all right, Gage thought.

Or maybe Nisha would eat him alive.

Either way, Gage was beginning to realize that he had to stay alert.

Because this one was smart and that was a fucking dangerous thing.

* * *

“I like him,” Nisha said. “I mean, I'm still going to stick a knife in his throat if he gives me the chance,” she purred, “but he's a hell of a lot better than Colter.”

“He'll make us money.” William turned to Mags, nodded at her. “He's in it for the caps which is what it should be about.”

Mags agreed. “He's not stupid. That already puts him miles above Colter.”

Mason just grunted. “We'll see,” he said. “But he ain't a fucking weakling.”

“What the hell did you say to all of them?” Gage asked later, blinking as he watched Nate pour himself a drink. “It took me months just to get them to stop trying to throw grenades at Colter and that was only because I convinced them it would be a waste of explosives.”

Nate took a sip, then chugged his drink back. Wiping his mouth, he said, “Maybe I'm just a really likeable guy.” He winked. “Good looks, silver tongue, willing to kick an ass or two.”

Gage snorted. “Yeah, if I thought that was all it was, I'd have let Colter burn your ass up in the arena. No,” he added, frowning, “You got them all on your side without giving away the farm. Hell, Mason even gave you one of his guns, and he doesn't do that for everyone.”

“It's all right,” Nate said. “I've had better weapons.”

“That's not the point.” Gage narrowed his eyes. “You got them on your side, even for a moment, and I have no idea how the hell you pulled that off.”

Nate's smile was sharp as he walked over to Gage, leaning in close. Gage refused to give him the satisfaction of leaning back. Fuck that, he thought. Only one person had been herding these assholes, keeping them from blowing everything to kingdom come, and if the new Overboss thought it was going to be as simple as snapping his fingers and saying a few sweet words, he'd have another thing coming.

“You really want to know,” Nate said. “You want me to tell you exactly how I got them to stop being fucking dicks and start listening to their new leader.”

“Yeah,” Gage said, knowing he was walking into a trap, but refusing to turn back. Hell, it worked for his new boss. “Tell me.”

Nate's mouth bent low, breathed over his ear and Gage, despite himself, felt a chill. “I gave them what they wanted,” he whispered. “But somehow, I think it's not going to be that easy with you.”

Fucker, Gage thought, and it wasn't without a tinge of admiration... and arousal.

* * *

“You're coming with me,” Nate said. “If I'm going to take back this park, I'd like someone who's been around for a while to help me out.”

“You know, Boss,” Gage said, “that I didn't actually go into most of these places. Between having to keep all these idiots from running off and trying to convince Colter to get off his ass and actually do something, I was a little busy.”

“So then take it as a little tour.” Nate slid a rifle over the counter to him.

Gage picked it up. It was pretty solid, and looked cleaner than the handmade shit they had been using. “You got some ammo for this too,” he said. “Or am I just going to be holding it to look pretty?”

Nate winked and slid some clips over to him. “You save being pretty for me,” he said. “I'd rather not share you with anyone.”

Gage fought the urge to flip him off. It wasn't like he hadn't thought about this shit. Hell, he'd have been lying if he said he hadn't taken care of a few of his urges while they were trying to get the park up and running.

But there was a big difference between a one night stand where you both go off and never talk about that shit again, and letting your new boss get everything he wants without having to work for it.

He was a raider, through and through. And raiders didn't get their shit by having it handed to them. They worked for it, bled for it, killed for it. They fought tooth and nail and didn't let an outsider come in and think oh, the hard work's over now.

Nah. It was just beginning. And Nate really wanted to be an overboss for real, he'd have to become a raider.

Blood and sweat. Bone and bullets.

Taking everything you want and not thinking your ass was fine enough that you didn't need to risk it.

* * *

“Of course,” Gage yelled, ducking behind the counter as the red eyebot whipped around the corner. “Fucking killer robots!”

Nate grinned, rolling over next to him. “What? You didn't think the World of Tomorrow wouldn't have these little bastards?”

“You're awfully happy for someone who just dived over a snack bar because one of those walking drink machines threw an energy ball at you!”

“Maybe it's because I've got a trick up my sleeve,” Nate said. He patted Gage on the shoulder and stood up. He had his weapon hanging loosely at his side, and he seemed to be calculating something. Something that wasn't shooting the shit out of these assholes.

“What the hell are you thinking?” Gage yelled. “Your ass ain't immune to lasers anymore than mine is.” Great, just what he needed. The gangs would never let him hear the last of it if the boss bit at the first park he tried to take over.

Nate saluted him and then piledrove straight into one of those walking tin cans spewing soda at them. Gage couldn't see exactly what he was doing, but in a moment, he was up and the robot was frozen, its claws outstretched towards them.

“I told you I had a trick,” Nate said, ducking as another robot flew toward him. Another complicated thing with his hands and the eyebot hovered in mid-air, waiting. “I'm good with my hands.”

Gage reluctantly stood up. “You know, boss, sometimes I think I get you and then you go and do something like this, and I think I don't fucking know this guy at all.”

“Oh, I'm not complicated,” Nate said. “I just like to have things under control. Used to be in the military, so I like people following my orders.”

Gage picked up his weapon, reloaded. “Yeah, I'm beginning to get that. Military, huh,” he said, moving it around in his mind. “You must have seen some action.”

“Something like that,” Nate said, scouting the corner ahead. “But you know how it is. Things blur after awhile. Sometimes I forget a lot of names.”

“I get that,” Gage said. “I've killed so many fuckers that trying to remember them all would be a big fucking waste of time.”

Nate smiled. “See, this is why I like you,” he said.

Gage would have said more, but then the motherfucking turret shot him in the arm, and after that it was on.

* * *

It had gotten dark and they were sitting back in the cleared Star Control. It was kind of pretty out there, if you looked past all the death machines trying to kill them.

“Seriously, Gage,” Nate said. “I didn't know how much you hated robots.”

Gage shuddered. “I just don't trust those fuckers,” he said. “I mean, the tin cans are bad enough but then the synths? They could look like anyone and then before you know it, you're waking up to one of those metal buckets jamming wires into your head or just shooting you.”

Nate closed his eyes. He'd set his power armor aside, reasoning that they had already turned off a good portion of the robots and besides, he didn't want to go around wasting money on power cores. “I guess,” he said. “I don't know, they never really scared me.”

Gage snorted. “I don't see why not. You really think that if an army of them showed up here, these assholes would be able to wipe them out. They can barely keep from killing each other.”

“True,” Nate said. “I guess that's why I'm here. To get us all united or some shit.”

“Something like that,” Gage replied. “I'll give you this. You're already doing way better than Colter. You're actually getting your hands dirty, down in the ditches with the rest of us.”

“What can I say,” Nate smiled. “I like a hands on approach.”

Gage stepped back, admiring the flag waving in the breeze. “Operators, boss? They're going to love that.”

“Well, it didn't really make sense letting the Pack hang out here. Can you imagine?” Nate chuckled. “They'd try to mount one of the Mr. Frosties and then---”

“Best served cold, right?” Gage stretched his arms and grinned. “Well, Mags and William will be happy, even if the rest of the gangs are gonna be pissed.”

“Like I care,” Nate said. “They'll all get a piece of this.”

“Yeah, boss,” Gage started walking next to him, as they went down the ramp. “But you do know that there's five parks and three gangs. At least one of them is going to lose out.”

“Well, we'll see when we get to that,” Nate said. “For now, I'm going to take it one day at a time. Plus, cheer up,” he added. “We got a new army on our side in case anything goes wrong.”

“This?” Gage shook his head. “No offense, but if you're trusting our defense to some metal shitheads that just tried to kill us, maybe you took a few too many laser shots to the head.”

He half expected Nate to get mad or maybe just laugh and shrug it off, but the boss just looked thoughtful. “I don't know,” he said. “Let's just say I like to keep my options open.”

“Well, you're the boss.”

“Damn straight.” Nate started whistling, picking up his pace. Almost as an afterthought, he casually turned around and said, “You know that trader down in the market, the doctor? She wants me to kill you all.”

“Are you expecting me to be surprised about that?” Gage laughed. “Obviously, she wants us all dead. The question is did you take her up on it?”

Nate stopped, waited for Gage to catch up to him. When Gage showed up, he leaned in again and said lowly, “Well, are you going to give me something if I don't?”

“Your life,” Gage said evenly.

The boss just laughed.

* * *

“More fucking robots,” Gage muttered. “Just what we needed.”

“Look at it this way,” Nate said. “At least, these ones aren't trying to kill us yet.”

“Give them time.” Gage kicked one of the bloodworm corpses aside. “Everything else here is.”

Nate looked thoughtful. “I got to say, I wasn't expecting giant worms. But then who really does expect them?”

They walked past the saloon and Gage sighed. “Let me guess, boss. You want to see if they got any of the good stuff in there.”

“Nah.” Nate shrugged. “We'll just get the code, get into the mine, and finish cleaning out the rest of this shit. Might as well be efficient at it.”

Gage blinked. “You feeling all right, boss? I thought--”

“I saw how you looked at me, Gage. Let me guess, it's all right for the lowlifes to take the chems and drink their livers to death, but you expect greater things out of your boss.”

It was deeply irritating being read so quickly by a man he'd barely gotten to meet, but Gage wasn't complaining. It was better than spending years with a man who had never bothered to try. “If you want to, you don't need my approval,” he said. “You're the Overboss. You can do whatever the hell you want.”

Nate only smiled. “And make you unhappy? Isn't it easier to just sell all that shit, pocket the caps, and use them to buy some good old fashioned guns and ammo?”

“Now you're speaking my language.” Gage frowned. “Speaking of which? How the hell are we going to get these tin cans to work with us? Don't tell me we're going to have to play along with their shit?”

“Oh, don't worry about that,” Nate said blithely. “You know I have the magic touch.”

* * *

“Magic touch, my ass,” Gage said, as he dragged the bloody overboss back through the tunnel. “You can take care of an army of killer robots, but a giant worm is too much for you?”

“What can I say?” Nate groaned. “I've never been one for the ladies.”

“Now I know that's bullshit,” Gage replied, jamming a stimpak into the boss's arm. “Weren't you married?”

“Yep,” Nate said. “Wife, kid, white picket fence. The whole nine yards. Really, when we got all this shit under control, I should show you around Sanctuary. I think they started getting all fixed up. Some of the roofs might not even have holes in them anymore.”

“See that's what I mean.” Gage held his boss's body, let the man show just a hint of weakness in leaning against him. Nothing wrong with needing a little support, as long as the rest of the gangs weren't around.

And they weren't. It was just the two of them cleaning up the entire motherfucking park by themselves. So he'd allow a little breather before going at it again.

And it would also give him time to get something off his chest. Because the flirting was nice and Nate had a great ass, but he couldn't help thinking that this was going to another one of those one-night stands and in the morning, the Overboss would have checked him off his list the same way he checked off the parks and those stupid fucking Cappies he insisted he had to find.

(What the fuck, boss? Seriously, you look like you want your ass beat down with those glasses.)

“You got to stop saying things you don't mean,” he said eventually, when he thought Nate's attention was on him. “You want to fuck, we can fuck,” Gage added. “But all this shit about taking me back home and setting up a house? You know that ain't going to happen? Raiders don't just settle down. We keep going until someone puts us in the ground.”

“So why Nuka-World, then?” Nate asked, his voice stronger. “Why set up a base and talk about making a place for us when you think you're not going to be around to see it.”

“Oh, I'm going to be around to see it,” Gage retorted. “But don't read too much into anything. I help you out because it helps me. I keep you alive because it helps me. If you need to let off some steam by rolling in the sheets for a night, then we'll do that. But it ain't love. I don't know what that is.”

Nate stood up quickly, too quickly, and Gage worried for a sec that the boss might tip over or maybe just punch him in the face. Hell, he wouldn't even be surprised by a quick grope.

The boss did none of that. He steeled his face, cocked his gun, and pulled out a grenade.

“Okay,” he said. “So we'll talk about this later.”

And the worms went flying.

* * *

“Not that I don't appreciate this,” Nisha said, pulling Gage aside as the Disciples started cheering and setting up camp in the now deserted ghost town, “but your boy better keep an eye on himself.”

“What's gotten into your pants, Nisha?” Gage asked. “You got a land, the park's almost halfway to being reclaimed, and I don't see him trying to fuck any of your Disciples, so it seems to me you shouldn't have a problem with him.”

“Oh, he's doing fine for now,” Nisha purred. “It's just... well, let's just say I have a feeling for people who are going to be an issue. And it seems to me that you decided you'd rather be ruled by a stranger than a raider, and then made us all go along with it.”

“Again, not seeing a problem.” Gage hadn't bothered putting his hand on his gun. They both knew that if it came to close quarter combat, Nisha was going to win hands down. But that wasn't why she was there. Nisha didn't do idle threats. She did follow through.

Nisha smiled, her teeth as sharp as her knife. “Just saying that he better be worth it. Because you're putting a lot on someone who as far as I can see, you chose based on some sweet talk and a long pair of legs.”

She patted Gage on the shoulder and sauntered off.

Really, Gage thought. Did no one trust his brain anymore?

Fucking Colter.

He didn't put guys in charge because he wanted to fuck them. He put them in charge because he thought he could use them, thought they were smart enough to not get themselves instantly killed, but not so smart that they could get any bright ideas about fucking Colter over and actually carry them out.

He'd underestimated Colter and his thirst for power. 

He wouldn't do the same with the new guy.

* * *

Gage narrowed his eyes as the shirtless man went over to the gorillas.

Nate came walking up, a guileless smile pasted on his face, but Gage knew better.

He was a righteous little fucker, just like him. “So why are we humoring this asshole?” Gage looked off at him. “We should just kill him now and save us the trouble.”

Nate put his hand on Gage's back, let it dip lower until it rested, a hot reminder of just how irritating his boss could be. “Don't worry,” he said. “It's a lot easier if we have someone who keeps these animals in check. And besides, he's not my type.”

Gage stiffened, moved away from the boss's touch. “I'm not worried about that,” he snapped. “I'm just saying that if you plan on nailing this park down, you can't be soft.”

“This isn't being soft,” Nate said. “This is me making sure I've got as many resources as I need.”

“And gorillas and a crazy man with a baseball bat are things you consider to be necessary,” Gage said doubtfully.

“Well, they're not at the top of my list, but yes.” Nate smiled reassuringly. “Relax,” he said. “I know what I'm doing.”

“Somehow, I doubt that, boss,” Gage said. “But for now, I'll see where this goes.”

“That's all I ask for,” Nate replied.

Gage raised an eyebrow.

“Well, not really,” Nate admitted, “but it's what I'll take for now.

* * *

Where it all went was to a rickety rollercoaster, a lab filled with water, and way too many goddamn gatorclaws.

“What kind of idiot decides this is a good idea?” Gage wrinkled his nose as he stepped through the stank water. “I almost wish this idiot wasn't dead, so I could kill him again.”

“Eh,” Nate shrugged. “I mean, it's not a terrible idea if you think about it. Mixing two deadly creatures and hoping that you can use them to take a bunch of fuckers out. Their problem was that they didn't keep control of it.”

“Yeah, no,” Gage countered. “I'm guessing that maybe mixing fucking deathclaws with anything was the biggest problem.”

“Sure.” Nate flipped the switch on the machine, listened to the hum gradually die. “I'll give you that one. You'd think they'd learn that experimenting on those fuckers would never end well, but every idiot wants to try their hand at it.

“Huh?” Gage peered closely at him. “You sound like you know from experience?”

“Well, where else do you think they come from?” Nate smiled thinly. “Once we got to be a little too costly, they were looking for a cheaper way to fight. But isn't that always the case?”

“You know, boss, sometimes I forget that your past is way more fucked up than mine,” Gage said, picking up some spare ammo from a shelf. “I mean, shit, I thought I had it bad.”

“Oh, Gage,” Nate said and there was something strange in his eyes, a light that seemed far more terrifying than anything Gage had seen before – and he had seen Nate punch a gatorclaw in the face five minutes ago.

“You have no idea.”

* * *

“This is a date.”

Gage looked up blankly. Far off in the distance, he could hear the Pack screaming and hollering, no doubt thrilled over their new digs. It was probably a no-brainer for the boss to hand that over to them, considering who was dealing with.

Plus now, it was all even. One each, fair and square. The real fun would begin now.

But before then--

“Are you serious?” Gage asked.

“Well, it's a nice night, there's no rad-storm in sight, and we're by ourselves in a very romantic location,” Nate said, all charm and smiles and Gage didn't trust him one damn bit. Which was as it should be.

“It's a treehouse in the middle of a maze in a land that still has gatorclaw corpses littered around it. There's even a skeleton right over there,” Gage said, pointing in the corner.

“So I knew it would be perfect.”

And damn him, it really was. “We're not going to fuck here,” Gage said.

“Well, of course not,” Nate agreed. “I don't want Mason thinking we're just angling for a threesome.”

“He would,” Gage said gloomily.

“He really would.”

“But look at this way,” and Nate clinked his NukaCola against Gage's. “We've got more than half the park cleared out, none of the gangs want to murder me at the moment, and I'm about to slip my tongue down your throat.”

“What--” and there was Nate, all smooth skill and charm but with a force behind it, sliding into Gage's lap and angling his mouth against his.

The bottles clattered to the floor and Gage thought, why the hell not? So he let Nate press against him, grateful that the power armor was down below, so he didn't have to deal with a pair of broken legs on top of it all.

“You're such a fucker,” Gage said, when their mouths broke away. “I knew there was a reason I picked you.”

“I keep trying to be,” Nate said, his mouth quirking, “but you're not exactly cooperating on that front.”

“Can't make it easy,” Gage said and Nate laughed, before pressing against Gage again and letting his silver tongue do more profitable things than useless words.

* * *

“I hate mudcrabs,” Gage said, stomping yet another one of those damn eggs.

“Mudcrabs?” Nate's face looked blank, as he looked down on the corpses, before it cleared. “Oh, mirelurks. Yeah, I can't say I'm that fond of them either. Still, never heard of them referred to that way.”

“I guess you got to have been there.” Gage wiped the slime off of his shoes. “Not that it matters. Whatever you call them, they're dead anyway.”

“But this is impressive,” Nate said, gazing up at the decrepit factory around him. “It's mostly still working, even if a lot of the machines could use some work. I bet if we got this up and running--”

“Always looking ahead, boss,” Gage grinned wryly. “I'm guessing you got some plans to make us money with this.”

“Something like that,” Nate agreed. “Thinking of giving this to the Operators after all this is over.”

“Yeah, I can't see any of the other gangs using this for anything more than a convenient drowning location.” Gage snorted at one of the mannequins, and casually toppled it. “Of course, the extra bodies are convenient.”

“I've been meaning to ask you about that, Gage,” Nate said. “Why in the hell are you still trying to pretend that any of these groups could ever work well together? You know that as long as there are three of them, they're always going to jockey for power.”

“Exactly,” Gage said. “Just as you know that there's only one other land that's up for grabs. So you're going to make the Operators happy and?”

“I don't know,” Nate shrugged. “I could piss off both the Pack and the Disciples and just go all in on the Operators.”

“Yeah, but you're not going to do that, boss.” Gage grinned. “So one of them's going to be pissed, and the other two will be on our side. That's a lot easier to take care of than three restless gangs that think you're moving too slow.”

“You know Gage,” Nate said, looking at him. “I don't think you get nearly as much credit as you deserve.”

“Oh, I agree.” He leaned against Nate, let the warmth chase away the chill seeping into his bones. “But I'd rather not get the attention. You know how it is. Stay low, keep your head down, and it won't get chopped off.”

Nate smiled. “Let me take all the heat? I think I can manage that.”

* * *

“You know, boss, we really should be taking care of that last park.”

“You say that now, but wouldn't you rather be here, being terrified solid, with your boyfriend at your side?”

Gage snorted. “Terrified? I've seen scarier shit in Nisha's living room than I have in this mansion.” He looked around. “Even the robots aren't anything compared to the ones back there.”

“See, here I am, trying to get in the right mood, and you're just determined to ruin it,” Nate said playfully, coughing slightly as the dust kicked up. “Back in the old days, you'd take your lover to see a scary movie, they'd clutch at you, and then you'd reassure them by holding them tight.”

“You try that shit,” Gage said, “and I will stab you.”

“So romantic,” Nate said. “That's what I love about you.”

They heard laughing, like that of a little girl, and instinctively, Nate clutched at Gage's arm.

“Really?” Gage asked. “We've blown through gatorclaws, bloodworms, and fucking mudcrabs, and this is what makes you jumpy?”

“Shut up,” Nate said amiably. “Maybe I'm just trying to find a way to get close to you.”

They rounded the corner into the attic and Gage almost took a step back. Not because of some fucking fake ghost, but because there was so much shit, it was hard to move.

“She ran over there,” Nate pointed at the door in the wall. “She must have gone out that door. Unless---” He trailed off, his handsome face pale and cold.

“Look, maybe she's related to that family we saw, which how dumb do you have to be to live out here, in the middle of nowhere, and think hey, raiders and giant worms are perfect.” Gage stepped over the trash on the floor. “They're just asking for it at this point.”

Nate rolled his eyes. “Fine,” he said. “I'll open up the door and I'm sure you're right and everything will be--”

The wall in front of them stopped them both short.

After a moment, Nate cleared his throat, and said in a very low voice, “To be honest, yeah, I really expected that.”

Gage did too, but he also didn't expect that his hand would be the one clutching at Nate's sleeve.

He really was losing his touch.

“So what was the point of all of this,” he said irritably. “To see if there was anything useful here? Because aside from a bunch of junk, most of which is cheap shit that ain't worth 20 caps, this was a waste of our time.”

“Like I said, maybe I just wanted to take you out again.”

Gage stared at him. “You cannot possibly be this fucking stupid--”

“You say that now,” Nate smiled, “but admit it. You had fun in the kitchen.”

“Only because they went down like paper,” Gage said. “Otherwise--”

Nate kissed him again. “Well, even if you're not in the mood, I am,” he said softly, his lips pulling away. “So you really want to keep bitching at me or would you rather make out while all of our gangs are busy following our orders.”

“I can do both,” Gage muttered, but it was hard to stay mad when your boss was touching you just so.

* * *

Back at the grill, Nate was still in a playful mood.

“Really, this park is great,” he said. “So many useful toys, so much pre-war technology, and the way it could be used? I'm so glad I paid attention to that broadcast.”

“I mean, honestly, Boss,” Gage said, “that was slightly stupid of you. Following something that's incredibly vague out to an obvious trap. Kind of make me wonder about your intelligence.”

Nate laughed. “Well, I mean, I am a magnet for trouble,” he said. “You should ask the guys back home about that.”

“Yeah, boss,” Gage said, and he looked away.

“Oh, I get it,” Nate said, coming over. “Are you worried that I'm going to up and leave Nuka World once I get the park running?”

“Kinda thinking that,” Gage said. “I mean, what's to keep you here. It's not like you got any particular attachment to the raiding life. You didn't even start out like one of us.”

“Nah,” Nate said. “I mean, you're right that I'm never going to be a true raider like one of you, but if you're thinking I've found nothing in Nuka World that would keep me here, you really haven't been paying attention.”

“Oh, I'm paying attention,” Gage said. “But are you actually serious about any of this, or is this a thing like that baseball bat or those damn Nuka recipes where you're out for the new and shiny and once you get it, it's on to the next thing.”

Nate frowned thoughtfully. “You know,” he said. “I'm beginning to think that I got it all wrong. I've been trying to sweet talk you into things, but you're not that kind of guy, are you? You're more of a “Actions speak louder than words,” is that right?”

Gage opened his mouth. Nate took advantage.

They fell backwards on the bed Nate had cleverly maneuvered them over to. Gage had to give the boss credit, that son of a bitch was so fucking good at getting people into the exact spot he wanted them in before his attack. Whether it was taking out a pack of fucking robots or getting a reluctant underling to drop his pants, Nate had a way of convincing you that was fucking uncanny.

Gage let one hand tangle in Nate's hair as he let his other hand dip inside Nate's shirt. His skin was surprisingly smooth, considering the amount of action he must have seen. Not that Gage was complaining. This kind of present, well, if you were a lucky enough bastard to be able to unwrap it, you stopped questioning why it was given to you.

“You're an asshole,” Gage said, in between kisses. “A real fucking asshole.” He let his hand tweak one of Nate's nipples, and Nate responded by pressing him down even harder, grinding into him on the mattress.

“Oh, you haven't seen anything yet,” Nate said. “But if you're a real good boy, you're about to.”

* * *

“I still don't know why we're out here,” Gaige said. “This town is full of shit. There's nothing good to loot, it's got a shit ton of feral ghouls, and it's way out in the middle of fucking nowhere. What are you even looking for?”

Nate shrugged. “I don't know,” he said. “I guess I'll know it when I find it.”

Gage sighed and shot another ghoul in the head. “Well, hurry it up,” he snapped. “These fuckers just keep coming and coming.”

“Much like someone else I know,” Nate said, and winked.

Just for that, Gage thought, he was going to make Nate take care of the next one.

Not that it was a challenge. Gage could watch Nate kick ass all day, shooting and stabbing and beating t the ass of anything that got in his way. It was a shame the kid wasn't a raider because man, he had a knack for the killing part of it.

Even if his looting skills needed work.

“A tape?” Gage said, an hour later, wiping the blood off of his forehead. “That's your biggest haul of the day.”

“Don't tell me it didn't make you feel something,” Nate said. “The last dying gasps of someone who knows they're going to turn and is hoping that their loved one moves on. Hey, if I became a ghoul, would you try to find a cure?”

“I'd shoot you in the head,” Gage snapped. “Put you down at once.”

Nate walked over to him, shoving the tape into his pocket. He leaned into Gage. “Really?” Nate purred. “If you found out that I was some sort of monster, you wouldn't feel the slightest bit of regret over having to get rid of the love of your life?”

“You're not the love of my life,” Gage retorted. “I don't believe in that kind of shit.” He reloaded his gun, and aimed at a ghoul in the distance. It went down easy, probably a hell of a lot easier than trying to shoot down Nate if he turned.

He tried to push down the part of him that said, don't fucking kid yourself. You don't know for sure that you'd pull the trigger.

“I guess not,” Nate said, leaning back against the wall, “If I believed that, than I guess I'd be a hypocrite too. But I'd like you to know that if you did become a ghoul or a synth or whatever, I would definitely keep you around.”

“No, you fucking wouldn't,” Gage said. “What kind of idiot would--”

Nate grinned lopsidedly. “Someone who really likes his boyfriend and doesn't particularly care what shape he's in.”

“Fuck me,” Gage said. “You really mean it.”

“I really do,” Nate said.

* * *

“We should really take the kids to this someday,” Nate said. “I mean, if you ignore the painted ghouls, the fact that nothing works, and the poison gas, it looks like a great place for a family vacation.”

“What kids?” Gage asked. “You thinking of the Pack? Because they'd probably get a kick out of it? But actual children? Where the hell would--”

He snapped his mouth shut. Shit, he thought. He forgot about the Boss's--

Not that the Boss seemed terribly broken up about it. “I always wanted to take Shaun here,” he said. “Overpriced refreshments, long lines for rides, and terrifying mascots are sort of a rite of passage.”

“Sorry about your son,” Gage mumbled. “I didn't mean to--”

“It's okay,” Nate said. “I'm kind of realizing that by the time I actually find him, he might not be how I remember him. Kellogg even warned me about that.”

“Kellogg?”

“Fucking asshole, talked way too much, had one of those tragic backstories that's supposed to excuse all the bullshit he put people through, but really, it becomes more irritating than anything else. Like we've all been through shit, right?” Nate ducked and then smashed a ghoul in the face, sending it flying. “He's the one who put me through it in the first place.”

“You killed him, right?” Gage picked up a gun off the corpse. “Someone does something that shitty to you, you've got to show him the way.”

“Sent him to hell and everything,” Nate grinned. “And when I die, I'll get to kill him all over again.”

Gage whistled. “See, this is the kind of shit I like to hear,” he said. “Fucking right.”

“What about Conway?” Nate asked. “You ever catch up with him?”

“Thought about it.” Gage wasn't going to lie. “Would have been real satisfying to show that fucker what loyalty really is.” He looked at Nate. “Coulter and Conway, they both only thought about what threatened them. They never knew what it was like to have someone who could really help them out.”

Nate nodded. “I get it,” he said. “It's something bigger than you. It's not just about your ego or shit, it's about making sure that the right man for the job is there. Or woman,” he added. “Don't want shit getting back to Mags or Nisha about me being an asshole.”

“Oh, they already think you are one,” Gage grinned. “And if you end up giving this shit to the Pack, Nisha for sure is going to hate your ass.”

“At least she's a fan of close quarter weaponry,” Nate said. “Probably unlikely to sniper rifle me when I get back.”

Nate and Gage both smiled at each other. “Boss,” Gage said. “You know I got your back.”

“And I hope a lot more,” Nate purred.

Gage just gave him a dirty look.

Just not the kind Nate wanted.

* * *

Oswald the Magnificent, in the end, was a massive disappointment.

“You just let him leave,” Gage asked. “We could have taken him.” He aimed his gun, looking to see if he could spot him in the distance, but it was a waste. The man was good at disappearing, frustratingly so.

“Why take unnecessary risks,” Nate said. “Yeah, I could have killed him, but look at this way. We got the park without needing to protect our asses. And Oswald's not going to come back.” He holstered his weapon, picked up the top hat, dusting it off.

“What happened to tying up loose ends?” Gage kicked the bench, frustrated. “What happened to making sure that this asshole paid for putting us through all that shit?” For all the shit they had battled through, the actual climax was surprisingly... eh.

Nate shrugged. “So he made us go through a funhouse and taunted us a few times? I've been through worse shit, and really, it's nothing personal to me. Besides, you saw the look on his face. He's already had his heart crushed. That kind of heartbreak, you don't recover from.”

“I guess so.” Gage was still annoyed. “You get that I'm not happy about this, right?”

“Sure.” Nate went over to him, slung a companionable arm around his shoulder. “Here,” he said, handing over a sword. “You can has his sword if it makes you feel better.”

It did, slightly, as did the warmth of Nate's body next to his. “I'm still going to keep a grudge about this.”

“I wouldn't expect anything less,” Nate said. He kissed Gage slowly, ignoring the rain falling on the two of them. At least they weren't being spewed by poison anymore.

Gage closed his eyes, let himself forget about all the shit they had been through. After all, they had taken back the park. They had cleared out the lands, were about to raise the last flag, and the gangs would be happy.

Well, mostly. Gage had a feeling that Nisha was going to be pissed, and her crew would follow suit. If Nate thought that giving them one land might keep them loyal, he had another thing coming. They might follow him for the moment. No used stirring shit up while the boss was around, able to squash.

Later, though...

But for now, Red Eye was crowing on the radio and the boss was slipping him some tongue. He gripped Nate's shoulder, digging his fingers into it.

Things were good.

* * *

“This is a piece of shit,” Gage said. “Really, this place is the worst. Mudcrabs, murk, and nothing around for miles.”

“Yeah, I'm thinking the Pack might like it,” Nate said. “Or not.” He shrugged. “Look, Shank wanted me to get a settlement and this one's real easy to take over.”

The settlers in the back cowered slightly. “Besides,” Nate added, “it's not like their life was that great to begin with. Really, I only set this place up because I stumbled into it.”

“That's kind of how you live your life,” Gaige said. “Just sort of randomly wandering and getting into trouble?”

“Works out for me,” Nate said. “Plus, it gives me a sense of the world I'm in. The more I know about it, the more I can figure out what needs to be done.”

Gage shook his head. “I really don't get you sometimes,” he said. “Sometimes you sound like the smartest guy in the Commonwealth and other times, you're down in the muck with the rest of us, talking shit and kicking ass.”

“That's the thing,” Nate said. “You know why Coulter lost? He couldn't adapt. You gave me the squirt gun and he didn't know what to do. He thought his armor made him invincible, he thought his position made him unstoppable, he thought--”

“That I'd follow his bullshit because I got him to where he was,” Gage finished. “You're right. He saw the monsters in the park and couldn't think of a way around them. So he did nothing and hoped we'd all be fine with that.”

“Exactly,” Nate said. “You can't rely on old ways all the time. Things have to change based on where they are. If something isn't working through brute force, you finesse your way instead.”

Gage shook his head. “Why did it take us so goddamn long to get a boss that understands this shit?” He said. “All this wasted time we could have used to get our position more secure and instead, we ended up pissing it away.”

“Well, you got me now,” Nate said. “And don't worry,” he smiled. “I won't let us get complacent about anything. I promise you, we're going to get this shit going good.”

Gage kicked the body of the mudcrab aside. “I don't worry,” he said. “Not now.”

* * *

The third settlement was the trickiest and once again, Gage found himself patching up Nate.

“Who knew Preston would be that pissed?” he said, knocking back his water. “I mean, yeah, I kind of expected him to maybe ask for a reason but really? Shooting at me?”

“You did give him this settlement and then take it back from him.” Gage looked at the smoking turret. “Nice defenses, by the way. Maybe you shouldn't have made them so strong before we took this place out.”

“Yeah, kind of an error in retrospect,” Nate said. “But hey, what's done is done, and Shank should be more than thrilled about this.”

Gage grinned. “You'd think that,” he said. “But these fuckers are so picky and hard to please. You think you have fun keeping them happy? Try doing this for years on end.”

“So how can I make you happy,” Nate said, moving closer to him. “The door's closed, the Disciples are cleaning up the mess, and no one's going to bug us.”

Gage let his hand move closer to Nate's pants, dip below the band. “I can think of a few things,” he said. “At least this place has a bed.”

“Hey, that last place was romantic and you damn well know it,” Nate said. “Teddy bears, pillows...”

“Deathclaws.”

“Exactly,” Nate said. “Punching shit is deeply romantic.”

“True,” Gage said, and Nate lifted up his legs to let his pants slide down. He was already taking off his shirt, waiting for Gage to finish it. It was much simpler for Gage to unhook all of his clothes, letting them drop to the floor.

Nate was already on top of him, as soon as he was naked, rubbing up against him. His hand cupped Gage and Gage returned the favor, holding him tight. There was something primally simple about all of this. For all the plotting and backstabbing and delicate power-balancing that they had to go through, the sex was really easy. Just fucking and fighting and occasionally talking shit.

Okay, always talking shit.

But this was the life. Gage could think of nothing better.

* * *

Nate wiped the sweat from his brow.

“So that's it,” he said, walking over to Gage. “Nisha's dead, the Disciples are in disarray, and the park is ours. Must feel pretty good to you.”

“You could say that, boss,” Gage said. “Years of waiting and planning and we finally got everything we wanted. Can't say I regret this one bit.”

Nate kissed him fiercely. “Yeah, we fought tooth and nail for this shit and we pulled it off. To be honest, when I first came here,” he said, “I wasn't really that impressed. I mean, the Gauntlet was laughably easy for me. Not the best opening.”

Gage snorted. “I told him the Gauntlet would be the death of him one day,” he said. “Even if I had to be the one to assure it.”

“Well, I owe it all to you,” Nate said. “If it had just been Coulter, I probably would have taken Mackenzie up on her offer and just wiped the lot of you out.”

“About that--”

“I'm not doing anything about her,” Nate said. “Why bother? I'd rather know that someone is plotting against me than get rid of one bug only to have two others pop up. At least Mackenzie will keep hoping that one of these days, I'll turn against you and wipe you all out.”

“Well, she can live in hope,” Gage said. “But you're the boss now. Just say the word and I'll take care of any of your problems.”

Nate smiled. “See, this is why I like you, Gage. Loyalty. Intelligence. Adaptability. All of these are such valuable and rare traits. Conway couldn't appreciate them. Coulter couldn't understand them. But I do.”

Gage kissed him. Somewhere in the distance, something blew up.

Gage ignored it at first. He and Nate kept embracing. It was still raining in the park, which wasn't fucking new, nor were the sounds of gunfire.

The bolts of blue light, however, were.

“Boss?” Gage asked.

“See, the thing is,” Nate said, “while you're a fucking brilliant piece of work, the rest of these assholes really aren't. Mason's an animal, good for nothing more than the basest of tasks, and Mags and William lack the scope to really take this place to its potential. I mean, they look at this and the most they can think of is enslaving traders and shooting shit. But you and me, we see something greater.”

Gage tried to pull away. Nate's grip was surprisingly strong all of a sudden. “Boss,” he said quietly. “Nate.”

“Oh, Gage,” Nate said. “I really do love you so much.”

Behind him, Gage could see the men in black closing in. Synths behind them, too, and men in hazmat suits.

“You son of a bitch,” he said. “I ought to fucking kill you right now.”

“You should have killed me from the moment you saw me,” Nate said. “I'm so glad you didn't.”

There was a bolt of something to Gage's back and he crumpled to the ground.

Above him, his boss smiled sadly. “You really need to learn to work for better people.”

* * *

The room was white, boring and bland. Gage had had everything taken from him, leaving him in a crumpled white pair of pajamas. There was nothing useful that could be used as a weapon, unless he wanted to throw a nightstand at someone.

Not that any one came in that often. Men and women in white coats would occasionally stop by, frown and check his vitals before they would leave. The one time he actually tried something, there was a baton to his back and he was twitching on the floor, embarrassed and angry about his failure.

He had no idea what was going on out Nuka World. Maybe they were all dead. Maybe they weren't.

It didn't really matter to him anymore.

It was all fucking over. Nate was out there somewhere, probably fucking someone else over, or fucking them, having moved on to his next target.

Fucking Institute, he thought. They ruined everything.

The door opened.

He launched himself at the figure in the door, who smoothly dodged him. “I will kill you,” he hissed.

“No, you won't,” Nate said. “You'll really want to, but you won't be able to. If I die, he'll just make another one and that'll be a real waste.”

“He--”

“My son,” Nate said. “You might recognize him. He's the old man that glared at you when they hauled you in.”

“Him?” Gage sputtered. “He's older than you.”

“Yeah, it turns out that science and time are a bitch and the Institute is fond of fucking around with both of them,” Nate said.

Gage seized upon the earlier part of Nate's statement. “Make another one--”

Nate smiled coolly.

“You're a fucking synth.”

“Yep,” Nate said. “Shaun's finest work,” he said. “Kellogg really was an ass, after all. Turns out defrosting and refreezing someone without knowing exactly what the fuck you're doing means that you fuck someone irrevocably. I died before I even made it to Diamond City.”

Gage stared at him in horror.

“Luckily, Shaun had been a little obsessed with getting his dad back. He was able to recreate me and popped me back into a new body, better than ever. Of course, I didn't know it at the time. I just thought, oh shit, I almost died.”

Nate chuckled. “Imagine Kellogg's face when he saw me coming for him. I think Shaun got a real kick out of it all, letting Kellogg realize that his killer was the one who most had reason for revenge. He was screaming at the end, you know.” Nate was still smiling. “And that's when I realized what I was. Kellogg gave me the idea.”

“That's sick,” Gage said.

Nate shrugged. “I guess,” he said. “You might say it's sick to steal a baby and raise it to start your robot army, but whatever. We all do shitty things for shitty reasons. Luckily, Nick knew what it was like to be an unaware synth and I was able to convince him to keep it a secret.”

“Nick?”

“He's around,” Nate said. “Probably mad as hell at me, considering that I skedaddled back to the Institute as soon as I could, but he'll thank me eventually. I am keeping him free and alive.”

“Unlike me,” Gage said. “So what are you going to do? Kill me? Keep me locked up for the rest of my life? Because I'll tell you, you try to do the second one and you're going to end up having to do the first.”

Nate bent down to the floor, held out his hand. “You know I could always clone you, then kill you,” he said softly. “In fact, how do you know that I didn't do that the day at the plant and you're just a synth waiting to be sent out on his first mission?”

Gage swallowed back the bile in his throat. Did robots get sick? He didn't know. He was dizzy and terrified, more than he had ever been in his life. “You wouldn't--”

“I would,” Nate said, matter of fact. “But I haven't. I'm not lying to you about that. Of course, there's no way to tell unless you trust me. Which I'm guessing, you don't.”

“Not really,” Gage said.

“But you do still love me.”

“Fuck you.”

Nate smiled a wintry smile and pulled Gage to his feet. “Don't lie to yourself,” he said. “You've wanted me from the moment I arrived. You've just been fighting it every step of the way.”

“Shut up.”

Nate pressed his treacherous, lying lips to Gage's. “It's all right to love me,” he said. “No one's going to judge you for it here. No one's going to think you're weaker for it or talk shit about it or try to take over your position. All you have to do is accept it. I'll take care of the rest.”

“I'm not going to--”

“You will,” Nate said. His eyes were kind, merciless. "Because you and I both know what it's like to want one thing in your life that will keep you fighting every step of the way.”

Gage closed his eyes, let his mouth meet Nate's.

He let Nate push him to the bed, let him quickly remove his clothing, run his hands over Gage's body, then nestle into him like he was coming home.

He stroked Nate's hair, thought about reaching down to Nate's neck.

Gage didn't even try it. He rubbed Nate's back, let Nate fall asleep against him. 

Nate was right. There was no way around this one. 

Gage had finally met his match. 

* * *

Nuka World was running smoothly.

Trade was up, especially since the traders had been given a slightly new deal to work with. Every now and then, Gage saw Mackenzie and they would look away. Being reminded of just exactly who your boss was tended to make you not want to stare for too long.

Out in the corners of the park, things were getting up and running. Already, facilities were being built, people were settling in, and the power plant was running smoothly. At night, Gage could admit that it was glorious to see the lights glowing in the distance, the park finally a success. Just not entirely what he meant it to be.

The lands were under control too. The Disciples were wiped out, and the Pack had been relocated somewhere else. Gage didn't ask, but he suspected the Institute had a lot of strong new subjects it was just itching to test.

Surprisingly, the Operators had been enfolded into the new regime. It turned out that chemical knowledge and a willingness to roll over for money meant that most of the more pragmatic ones just agreed to have a new employer as long as the caps came rolling in.

“I missed you,” Nate said, coming up to Gage and kissing him. His black coat flapped behind him and Gage suspected that behind his sunglasses, his eyes were smiling. “It's been so boring there and the departments aren't making it easy. You'd think I wasn't related to their glorious leader or something.”

“I'm sure you've been able to crack down,” Gage said dryly. “Experience in taking over unruly groups of people and all.”

Nate kissed him again. “Well, I had very good help,” he said. “Maybe you might want a change of scenery in the future?”

“I like it here just fine,” Gage said. “I'll let you babysit your scientists and you let me take care of what's left.”

Nate's smile was indulgent, like he was pleasing a particularly adorable child. “I want to show you something,” he said. He tugged at Gage's hand. “Follow me.”

Gage didn't want to in particular, but did he really have a choice?

Ten minutes later, and a few levels down, he turned to Nate, his mouth open. “This is what the fucking sunglasses were all about?”

Nate grinned. “Isn't it marvelous?” he said. “To think this was hidden all the way here and that the only one who had any clue was that woman?”

Gage watched the head mouth something. “I can't hear what he's saying,” he said.

“I turned the volume down,” Nate said. “It's not important. What is important is what this represents. Progress. Science. The future. If something like this is possible even now, then think of what we can do with the knowledge contained here. “

Gage shook his head. “And here I thought I was the asshole,” he said. “You know, boss, when I first met you, I thought you might be a little too weak for the job. I thought, can he really handle it? He's not a raider. What does he know about getting people to do things they don't want to do?”

Nate smiled. “And look at me now,” he said. “I told you, Gage, I'm going to make sure we achieve greatness. Whatever it takes, I'll do it.”

“I get that now,” Gage said. “Oh, how I get that.”

Nate kissed him. The head kept mouthing in the background. Somewhere above them, the Institute was making a better Commonwealth, and Nate was the one in charge, the one that looked at everything, ordered it to his satisfaction, and made sure that the ragged edges were smoothed out. 

This was the love of his life.

This was his life, Gage thought.

It could be worse.

And he knew the same way Nate did, that with the two of them as partners, it was going to be a hell of a ride.


End file.
